Marlene Rodgers (Director); Kyle Gunther (Producer/Executive Producer); Louise Valgardson (Producer); Mark Angelo (Executive Producer); John Ritchie (Executive Producer); Trish Neufeld(Executive Producer) | 2025 | 38 min.
2026 Official Selection
Fierce and passionate individuals are taking audacious measures to save a planet in crisis. The Rewilders is a visually spectacular short documentary that follows pioneering conservationists (incl. Kris Tompkins; Mark Angelo) on three continents, working to rewild iconic species like jaguar, elephant, bison and salmon. The impact of their efforts is galvanizing a global movement, one species and one landscape at a time.
Kyle Gunther
Producer / Executive Producer
Kyle spent twenty-five years working within the international humanitarian development sector, spanning four continents and encompassing nineteen countries. Throughout this career, he successfully managed large-scale program budgets, developed staffing solutions, and oversaw the technical implementation of various programs. In 2019, he made a transition into the Canadian film industry, where he has worked in a variety of roles on feature documentaries and television series for notable broadcasters, including Knowledge Network and Amazon. His deep passion and enthusiastic commitment to conservation, combined with his wealth of international development knowledge and production experience, have been instrumental in formulating valuable partnerships that have ultimately brought The Rewilders to life on screen.
Marlene Rodgers
Director & Writer
Marlene is passionate about telling stories which explore the human experience. After beginning a career as a literary academic, she moved into feature film development, working with Ontario Creates (then the OFDC) and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. From there, Marlene’s love of collaboration and mentorship led her to work extensively as a story editor and screenwriting instructor, while developing her own projects. Marlene’s short films include the award-winning Foxy Lady, Wild Cherry, which premiered at TIFF and sold internationally, and Dreams of the Dead, a short documentary , exploring memory and grief. Additionally, she co-wrote the screenplay Skin to Skin, short-listed for the Sundance Writers Lab. Most recently, Marlene has worked as a documentary writer on the acclaimed Amazon series In Cold Water: The Shelter Bay Mystery, and with Trish Neufeld as co-writer on Dancing With Mom, which won a Leo Award for Screenwriting.
